Stupid, Stubborn Girl
by Morgan-Kaze-Tsukai
Summary: Aquarius didn't know why she said such an odd thing, but she didn't have the luxury of much time to think about it. My take on Aquarius' thoughts in the latest FT chapter. WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR MANGA CHAPTER 384


_ Why?_

As hard as I tried, I simply couldn't fathom why those words had just left my mouth.

"Break my key," I had said to her. What in the world was I saying?

I was unable to count how many times I had left that stupid girl for dead. Hell, I attacked her more than I attacked her enemies. I really, truly wanted her to die. So why would I say such a ridiculous thing? The words had tumbled from my lips without my consent, almost making it sound like I was willing to give up my life for her, which I knew wasn't the case at all.

Her already pale face lost any hint of color it held previously. "What… are you saying?"

I let out a groan as I pushed more water towards the demon. It was painful beyond words, but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to just get up and leave as usual. Something deep inside me knew that this time, it was the real deal. If I left now, Lucy was done for. Though, there was still the nagging question of why did I care if she was dead?

"It's to save your friends," I tried to convince her. Surely she wasn't such an idiot that she would choose one spirit over dozens of guild members?

"You're one of my friends too! I can't sacrifice one to save the others!" She screamed at me, refusing to accept my reasoning. "There must be another way! I'm not giving up!"

Stupid, _stupid,_ girl. I had been giving her too much credit. "I wouldn't suggest you do this if there was another way," I scoffed. "…It's the only way."

She shook her head vigorously. If she survived this battle, her stubbornness would surely be the cause of her downfall at one point or another. "I don't want to!" She yelled, tears flowing down her cheeks, further dirtying the skin already coated in blood and dirt.

A wince found its way to my face. Damn, these guys… they really were strong. I wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. "Lucy, there's no time… my power is already…"

But the idiotic girl still refused to accede. "No…" she whispered, at least managing to slightly control her sobs this time.

"I won't die if you break my key. We just won't be able to meet again."

She looked absolutely heartbroken when her brown eyes met my own. "I don't want that!"

I almost laughed out loud at my words, despite the situation. True, I wouldn't die. If it were that easy to kill celestial spirits, we'd all have been long gone by that point. No, I knew I wouldn't die. But that said nothing for my power. That key contained vast amounts of my power. After all, it would be impossible to summon a spirit without immense magical power. If that key were to break, that power would be lost forever, and I would be weakened considerably. So much, in fact, that I wouldn't be able to get back to the human world of my own power for hundreds- maybe thousands- of years. If that key broke, so would my life as I knew it. But for some reason, I didn't care.

I would never admit it to Lucy, but… I had grown quite fond of her as the years passed. I had been there by her side since before she was even born, so I suppose it was only natural for me to feel such a strong bond with her. I almost felt like a big sister to her, as ridiculous as that may sound. It had been my job to protect her since Layla became pregnant. When she was born, I absolutely couldn't stand her. All she did was cry and cry and cry and cry… just a nuisance, really. When Layla died, I was absolutely devastated that I would be stuck with the queen of brats. Even as the years passed, she never changed one bit. She was a little brat who cried when she didn't get her way.

But if that was all really true… why was I crying just as hard as her?

"Only you can save your friends now!" I shrieked, trying one last time to knock some sense into her before my power gave out. "Do it! Break my key!"

There were those words again, feeling so foreign on my lips. 'Break my key'… why was I willing to give up my life as I knew it for this punk?

With a cry of anguish, Lucy finally raised my key, giving in to my demands.

The moments in which she screamed the words, "Open, gate of the celestial spirit king!" seemed to stretch on for eons. I found my time with the brat flashing before my eyes.

Before she joined a guild, she had found herself in a mess involving an imposter of the Fairy Tail guild. She had called me to wash away the ship, which I had done, but I washed her up with it. There was the time she fought the pink haired bimbo who though she could control me, and I naturally tried to drown them both. The time she summoned me from the body of the water woman, and, as always, I flooded the room. The time I left for a date in the middle of a battle. After she finally returned, after 7 long years of waiting, and, though I'd never confess to it, I was relieved beyond words that she was alright.

All of these memories and so many more hit me at once, and I found that I could no longer control the tears streaming down my face. I gave in.

_Ah… so that's why I said those foolish things. I guess I came to love this bitch like a real sister somewhere along the road._

"Thank you for everything…" I whispered through the tears as she raised the golden key above her head and snapped it. Of course, not without a wail.

That stupid, stubborn girl.


End file.
